More than coworking: Plexpod lauded as economic driver at EDCKC Cornerstone Awards
May 17, 2018 | Tommy Felts
A Cornerstone Award win for Plexpod is a recognition of the evolving nature of community and connections, said Gerald Smith.
“When we set out to do the Plexpod Westport Commons project, from the beginning it was much more than just another coworking facility,” said Plexpod co-founder Smith. “We believed Kansas City needed a central hub of scale where entrepreneurs would gather, events could occur, and companies would thrive. Economic development was at the very core of this project.”
Presented by the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City for more than 30 years, the Cornerstone Awards celebrate people, projects, businesses, programs, initiatives and events that drive economic development and growth in Kansas City.
Winners were announced at a gala Tuesday.
“We believe the great companies of Kansas City’s future are being born everyday at Plexpod Westport Commons, as well as our other locations across the metro,” said Smith, referencing Plexpod communities in Lenexa and the Crossroads Arts District. “We were thrilled to receive this honor, especially in our first year being open at [the Westport Commons] location. Plexpod is proud to be Kansas City birthed and we expect to carry that special KC entrepreneurial spirit with us to other cities.”
Plexpod was named one of Startland’s Top Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2018, having launched Westport Commons in the 160,000-square-foot renovated former Westport Middle School in 2017, and acquiring Think Big Coworking about six months ago.
Other Cornerstone honorees included AutoAlert, Cable Dahmer Headquarters & Collision, Cerner Innovation Campus, Hotel Indigo and Fairfax Lofts Apartments, Hunt Midwest SubTroplis Animal Health Corridor, KC Urban Youth Baseball, Linwood YMCA/James B. Nutter Sr. Community, NBKC Bank, Spring Venture Group, and Urban Café.
“The Cornerstone Awards celebrate the people and organizations that are building the future of Kansas City, Missouri,” said Bob Langenkamp, EDCKC president and CEO. “The 2018 award recipients have played a vital role in creating a thriving economy in our city, and we enthusiastically congratulate them on their efforts.”
For a full list of finalists, click here.
EDCKC also paid tribute Tuesday to Leo Morton, chancellor emeritus for the University of Missouri-Kansas City, with its Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as several special projects and the organizations behind them, including:
- Amazon HQ2 Proposal — Barkley, VML and Xact Technologies
- KCP&L — Clean Charge Network and KCP&L Connect
- A Better KCI — Platte County EDC, Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce, Kansas City Area Development Council, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and The Dover Group
- People’s Choice Award — Veterans Community Tiny Homes Project
Featured Business
2018 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Biotech startup’s latest partnership gets its UniPen into the hands of more pharmacists
A new strategic partnership for Love Lifesciences is expected to leverage its core product — a safe, self-administered injection medication delivery system — to new groups of like-minded, innovation-first companies, said Nick Love. The Overland Park biotech startup on Wednesday announced the deal with the Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding (APC), a leading trade organization, to…
Una Mas Empanadas folds authentic Argentinian flavors into new restaurant spot at Parlor
Expanding Silvia Herrera’s business from a food truck in Gardner to one of Kansas City’s most active and eclectic food hubs brings the Buenos Aires-born entrepreneur — and her grandmother’s 50-year-old handcrafted empanada recipe — to an even wider, more diverse audience, she said. “Our empanadas are more than just food,” Herrera said. “They represent…
It’s not too late to preserve KC’s Black-owned restaurants (or to enjoy Black Feast Week)
The recent closures of Soiree, The Krave, and Privee — Black-owned restaurants that each became a staple of Kansas City’s evolving food scene — leave a clear void that can’t be ignored, said Ryan Sorrell. An initiative to help save local culinary should-be hotspots in similar danger wraps this week, but the work to promote and…
Ancestry.com founder-turned-AI evangelist says rapidly advancing tech can uplift humanity, families
People across the globe are caught in an internet malaise, said Paul Allen, and tech visionaries’ response should be to renew humans’ dependence on faith and family and friendship and local community. One of their most critical tools, he said: decidedly non-human solutions from the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence. Allen — founder of…